part 1

Friday 3 and Saturday 4 May 2019

We take the 14.26 (IC Direct) train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. We drop off our bags at the machine and go through the security check. This time we can leave everything in the bag. Even the electronics. Once in the departure lounge we drink coffee at Starbucks before we go to the gate (E17). We fly with KLM to Hong Kong. The plane, a 747-400 Combi is almost completely fully booked. The flight is going well and we land half an hour earlier than planned at Hong Kong's airport Chep Lang Kok at 9.45 in the morning. The airport is built on an artificial island.

After we have taken luggage from the belt and gone through immigration, we first buy a local SIM card at the 1010 store in the arrivals hall. We buy a Discover HongKong Tourist SIM card with 3GB of data, which is valid for 5 days (HK $ 88) from the provider CSL. Then we buy an Octupus chip card for public transport. That is easier than buying a separate ticket for each ride. The card costs HK $ 39 (€4.45 or US$ 5) and we put HK $ 300 (€34 / US$38.50) on it. You can also pay with it in some stores, such as 7Eleven. Unused credit can be reclaimed upon departure. We take the fast airport express that takes us to Hong Kong Station. Then a short double decker tram ride to the Ibis hotel (Central & Sheung Wan).

We take a short rest, because we are exhausted. We have lunch at DimSum Square in Jervois Street. We have to queue a few minutes for a table for two. We share a four-person table with two ladies. We order 4 dishes, which we tick on an order form. Moments later, the dishes are served in random order. Delicious. The tea is included. All together we spent HK $ 101. In the afternoon we take the tram to Hong Kong Park. It is drizzling every now and then. The park is a green oasis between the skyscrapers. It lies at the foot of the Victoria Peak and therefore has many height differences. There is a pond with carp and a large bird enclosure where you can walk through. The birds are kept inside with a very large net. After the park walk we take the tram back to the hotel. In the evening we eat at Chan Kan Kee Chiu Chow restaurant (Michelin Bib Gourmand), where we order (far too many) delicacies. Quarter of a goose and chicken with chinese vegetables. This meal was more expensive than lunch, HK $ 700. But well, we both half a liter of beer. Exhausted we go to bed at 8.20 pm.

Weather: 24 degrees and drizzle

Sunday 5 May 2019

We overslept and woke up at half past nine. We have to hurry, because breakfast is only available until 10 am. In the nick of time we can grab something and eat. After breakfast we drink coffee at Starbucks in the hotel and then head for the Star Ferry. The Star Ferry has been operating here for decades and takes us across Victoria Harbour to Kow Loon. From the pier there, we take a bus to West Kow Loon station to pick up the train tickets for our High Speed Train on Tuesday to Guilin. After a some searching, we get to the right counter.  With tickets in our pocket we leave for Tim Ho Wan in the Sham Shui Po district, the dim sum restaurant with a Michelin star. There is already quite a line at front door. We are given a waiting number and then have to pay attention for our tob e called in Cantonese only. After 20 minutes we are inside. In the queue we have already been able to make our choice from the menu. Inside everything goes with an enormous speed and efficiency. The food comes quickly to the table. Something with rice and minced meat. A roll with meat and dough and two more tarts. One from kohlrabi and one with banana. It all tastes delicious. Within half an hour we are done and only HK $ 104 poorer for it.

After lunch we walk to the Gold Fish market on Tung Choi Street. The aquarium fish are alive and packed in a plastic bag and are hanging on a rack. Larger fish swim in the fish tanks. Further down the street, dogs and cats are on sale, lying on a towel in a glass cage. We walk towards the metro station. We see hundreds of Filipino women sitting on rugs and cardboard boxes chatting, eating and drinking on the elevated walkways and bridges. The women are mainly here as domestic staff and on their Sunday off they meet in the city. There are a lot of them and the chatter is almost deafening. We go back to the hotel by metro and tram.

In the evening we go by public transport to Jordan station. We eat in a cheap eatery and then walk to the . Unfortunately it is raining and we only stay for a short time. A lot of cheap junk is on offer here. There are also a  lot street food stalls alongside the market. The fish is very fresh, because it is still alive in the large fish tanks before it its thrown into the pan. We head to the north bank of Victoria Harbour. From here we have a nice view of the Hong Kong Island skyline. Unfortunately, the weather is not very helpful, and the peaks of the skyscrapers are covered in fog. Back to the hotel. Later that evening we go on foot to a gay cocktail bar, called Wink. Quiet bar with tasty cocktails.

Weather: 22 degrees, rain

Monday 6 May 2019

We get up on time today and after coffee at Starbucks we take the metro to Tung Chung. There we transfer to the cable car to Ngong Ping. The cable car car takes us over a few mountains and after a while we are engulfed in the fog. After about twenty minutes we descend again and get sight of the big Buddha statue. When we get off the cable car we first have to go through a tourist village with souvenir shops, eateries and some tourist attractions. Then we get to the stairs leading up to the Tian Tan Buddha. The statue, erected in 1993, is huge and is in the lotus position. From its pedestal we have a beautiful view of the surroundings and the monastery next to it. We walk around the statue once and look out in all directions. Then we go down again. In the adjacent Po Lin monastery from 1906 are a large number of golden Buddha statues, worshiped by the faithful. There is also a vegetarian fast food restaurant. There we take a bite to ease ARE appetite. We walk back to the cable car and then take the metro back to the hotel.

A visit to Victoria peak, the viewpoint on the highest mountain of Hong Kong, does not seem worthwhile, because the peak is completely covered in fog. Instead, we take the metro to the International Commerce Center (ICC), which at 393 meters is the ninth highest commercial building in the world. From the Sky100 floor we have a reasonable view, but somewhat limited by the fog. At the foot of the tower is a very luxurious shopping center with only the most exclusive brands, such as Cartier, Piaget and De Beers. Via WeChat, the Chinese messaging app, we have contact with Andy Lee in Guilin, who will pick us up from the station tomorrow. Many messages go back and forth and a pick up is arranged. We have installed the WeChat app on the smartphone because Whatsapp is being blocked on mainland China. We have also put a VPN on the device that should help us bypass the "Chinese Internet Wall". We do not yet know for sure if that will really work. We have opted for ExpressVPN, which is especially recommended for China. It costs € 12.95 per month, but is useful everywhere if, for example, you want to use unsecured WiFi networks safely.

In the evening we eat at a Mexican restaurant near the hotel (Te Quiero Mucho) and later we have a drink in the hotel bar.

Weather: overcast, 22 degrees.

Tuesday 7 May 2019

We get up at half past seven. We buy some food for the train ride. Around half past 10 we go to the hotel reception to check out. We take the bus to Western Harbor Crossing and then it's a long walk through the shopping center to Kowloon West station, where the high-speed trains leave from.

An eloborate process follows at the station before we can board the train

We are are very comfortable in first class and the train departs promptly at 12.06. The train runs at 228 km / h at firsts and after an hour or two even faster: around 240 km / h. The top speed is briefly at 305 km / h. We arrive at Guilin West (Guilinxi) at 3.25 p.m. This station is a long way outside the city. Our guide Andy, who will guide us tomorrow, has arranged a driver. He is waiting for us. He drives us to the Sheraton hotel in half an hour. He does take a small back road through the rice fields, which worries me a bit, but after a while we get back to civilization.

Buying a SIM card is next on the to do list. That is not that simple. There are many phone shops, but none can or are willing to sell me a SIM card. We eat in the hotel and after dinner I go out again. Eventually I succeed in a small shop where an employee takes the trouble to help me. The sale is quite a lot of work, it has to be said. Passport has to be scanned, copied. A picture is taken of me and then I am all set. The saleswoman puts the SIM in my device and it works! Through a translation app she tells me that the China Unicom card works for 1 month, has 1000 minutes of calling time and unlimited data. And that for only 100 RMB (12 euro).

Later that evening we walk to the two pagodas, which are beautifully lit and set by a lake. Erik is being photographed with a complete stranger, because he is so tall! We drink another beer on a terrace and go back to the room.

Weather: overcast. 22 degrees. A little drizzle in Guilin

Wednesday 8 May 2019

Breakfast at the Sheraton is almost entirely Chinese. Only toast and jam for the foreigners. I take something from the Chinese buffet. Vegetables, rice, noodles. After breakfast we wait for Andy, our guide for today. We booked him through ToursbyLocals.  At 9 a.m. he appears in the hotel lobby. We drive in the Chinese-made car to the Reed Flute Cave just north of Guilin. We learn from Andy that Guilin is a "small" city with only 5 million inhabitants. There is no metro, because the soil is too soft and porous. The limestone caves are large and beautiful and are colourfully lit. Andy shows us around and can control the lighting himself. A video show is shown in the large cavity, but that doesn't make any sense. Many animations with dragons, mammoths and other mythical animals. After the visit to the caves we drive to the Fubo rock. Here Buddha's were carved into the caves. The so-called Sword test stone is also worth seeing. It looks like the stalactite has been cut through by a sword, but in reality it must have been eroded. From the Fubo Shan we drive to the Elefant Trunk Hill, not far from our hotel. According to legend, the rock is a fossilized luggage elephant  of the emperor, who was cared for by the residents. The similarity is striking. Via a number of bridges and islands we return to the hotel via the love island. We already said goodbye to Andy. He was very busy with his smartphone throughout the tour. He was constantly calling and messaging. Annoying. Mentally he wasn't really with us.

We are going to eat something nearby. First pork on a skewer at a street stall and then some more in an eatery. We order way too much. we are completely full. Then we rest a bit in the room. Later we withdraw money and look for shaving cream for Erik. His spray can was confiscated at the train station in Hong Kong because it was supposed to be too large. Shaving cream is not sold much here. The Chinese do not have a lot of beard growth. On our search we also end up in a covered market where the meat is still alive when you buy it. You can buy live ducks, chickens, frogs, toads, fish, rabbits, scorpions and much more. The birds are crammed in cages and the frogs in a net. Animal welfare has not become much of an issue yet here. Then we walk along the Rong lake and the Shan lake and settle down at a Starbucks. In the evening we eat in a small eatery near the hotel. Dog meat and frogs are also on the menu. We will skip that one (yet).Afterwards we drink a coffee and a drink in the hotel bar.

Weather: 18 degrees and dry

Thursday 9 May 2019

We get up early because Andy comes to pick us up at 7.50 am. He is reasonably on time and drives us to the pier in almost an hour where the river cruise boat leaves for a trip on the Li River to Yangshuo. The traffic in Guilin is busy and it is moving slowly. Once we get out of the city it goes smoother. At the Zhujiang pier it is very busy. Not only with passengers, but also with boats. Andy buys the tickets for us from some fixer, who does his business at the check in building. There are a number of them about. Miraculously, our names are printed on the tickets. We go on board and find our seats on the VIP deck. Reserved places at a table for two, side by side. The boat leaves at 9.20. The landscape with the characteristic karst mountains is very beautiful. The landscape is famous and is even on the back of the 20 Yuan banknote. The buffet opens a little after 11 a.m. and we can enjoy a great lunch. Outside it has started to rain, but after half an hour it clears up again. The river boats sail in a kind of parade to Yangshuo. Empty boats meet us on their way back to Guilin. In the meantime, we receive messages via WeChat  from Andy saying that he has delivered our suitcases to the Hotel in Yangshuo. At half past twelve we moor at the wharf in Yangshuo. It is then a 150 meter walk to the hotel. Our suitcases are already there. Due to maintenance, there is no electricity in the area where the River View hotel hotel is located. But after an hour the light goes on again.

In the afternoon we take a walk through the center of Yangshuo. The place passes for a village, but about 600,000 people live there. There are many restaurants and hotels in the touristic town center. We drink coffee at an espresso shop. It is striking how many people speak English here. It is lively. Again, many electric scooters on the road. In the evening we have dinner at Lucy's Place. She has a mix of Chinese and Western dishes on the menu. The food tastes reasonably good and is nice and cheap again. We pay only ¥120 (€15). Then we take a coffee, which takes a long time. Ordering coffee here is a time-consuming activity, even at Starbucks. At 6.30 pm we are picked up at the hotel by a van for the Liu San Jie show. A song, dance and light show that is performed a few kilometers outside the center in a theater on the waterfront of the Li river. The driver does not have tickets yet, but these have been ordered through WeChat from a card dealer who gives them to the driver at the door. The spectacle takes place on the water against the backdrop of beautiful karst mountains. The musical show is based on the life of the poet Liu San Jie and is performed by 600 people in the costume of minority cultures. The show was designed by the famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Very attractive spectacle. After the show we are dropped off at the hotel again.

Weather: overcast, mostly dry. A few showers.

	Other Travel
back		continue